


Co·va·lent

by pants2match



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen, Post-Episode: s09e23 Demons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 21:52:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1833532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pants2match/pseuds/pants2match
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>adj.: of, relating to, or denoting chemical bonds formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Co·va·lent

JJ’s the one who notices it, the change in Reid’s mood.

He’s been glum since Alex left, and she can’t blame him. Alex was, really, a big part of Reid recovering from Emily’s departure, and now she’s gone too, and he’s hurting all over again.

This week, though, his spirits seem to have lifted.

When JJ arrives in the morning, he’s already there, perched on his desk with a copy of the Post on his thigh. His pen rests against his lip for a moment before he scribbles something down on the page.

This must be the first time she’s been in before he’s finished it.

–––

He’d left his phone face-up on his desk while he poured himself a fresh cup of tea (chia – the near-constant anise fragrance has JJ craving liquorice in a way she hasn’t since she was pregnant with Henry), and it rumbles with a new message. She’s not snooping, it’s just an ingrained response – hear a noise; look.

**Alex Blake: Eight letters, “bond”**

JJ smiles before she even realises it. Because, really, the only person who could get Spence back to his previously chipper disposition, is Alex Blake herself.

He returns to his desk a minute later with twin cups of tea, and extends one out to JJ.

“Oh, thanks!” JJ’s eyes refocus, pulled from her thoughts. She takes in the aroma of the tea a moment and watches as he reads the message, “uh, _covalent_ , I think.”

“Hmm?”

“For the–” she gestures to his phone, “like in chemistry.”

"Hey, how’d you know that!?” JJ scrunches up her face, trying not to laugh at the slip in his manners (out of excitement, she knows). “I mean–that’s cool, thanks.”

She smiles, rubs at his bicep a moment before moving past him,“say _hi_ to Blake for me.”

He’s smiling for the rest of the day after that.

**Author's Note:**

> inspired in part by [covalent, by ryosen](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1207147); [a six word fic from the other day](http://nastyratchet.tumblr.com/post/89249590140/some-six-word-fic-ships-reid-blake-morgan-garcia-and); and my own headcanon, where after moving alex and reid randomly send each other crossword clues, out of boredom or a weird, telepathic (due to ~covalence!!!) sense when the other may be in need of some comfort or distraction.


End file.
